"This is what they [the Buddhas] wished to express when they stuck out their tongues."

“We are Buddhas in the same way that Shakyamuni is a Buddha” [said the Buddhas of the ten directions]. “Shakyamuni Buddha is like the moon in the heavens, and we are the reflection of the moon in the water. The realm of Shakyamuni Buddha is in fact this sahā world. So long as the moon in the heavens does not move, we ourselves will not take our leave. We will continue to reside in this sahā world and will guard and protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra, serving him the way ministers and subjects serve their sovereign ruler, and loving him the way parents love an only child.” This is what they wished to express when they stuck out their tongues." -- Letter to Shimoyama